be there

Winston-Salem’s biggest end-of-summer street party is back! Today from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Rock the Block is going on downtown on 4th , 5th andMarshall streets and the surrounding areas. Chris Paul’s Community Stage will showcase the best in local music of all varieties. There will be a craft show, dance demonstrations, children’s area, BMX bike show, wine tasting festival, and tons of local food and merchandise vendors. Most of Rock the Block is free! Parking, certain concerts and the wine tasting festival require tickets. Visit www.rocktheblockws.com for a complete schedule of events.

Wed., Sept. 15 Bouncers Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts; 251 N. Spruce St., Winston-Salem; 336.747.1414; www.rhodesartscenter.org; 8 p.m.; $10 Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts is officially opened to the public. If you haven’t yet seen the dramatic comedy, Bouncers, it’s showing through Sept. 25. The play is about a group of working-class British bouncers. It’s a funny-but-serious, meaningful, audience-friendly show with a fine soundtrack. Tickets are normally $20, but tonight is special $10 ticket night. Thur., Sept. 16 Senior Spelling Bee Jamestown Hall & Civic Center; 301 E. Main St., Jamestown; 336.373.4816; www.senior-resources-guilford.org; 1:30 p.m.; FREE Here’s something slightly strange for you — it’s the 5th annual Senior Spelling Bee. It will be held at the Jamestown Hall & Civic Center, 301 E. Main St., at 1:30 p.m. Tanya Rivera, WFMY News 2 anchor, will be the pronouncer. Prizes are up for grabs for 1st-3rd places. Encourage your grandma and grandpa to enter by calling Katie Shore at 336.373.4816. Participants must be 55 and older. Space is limited! Fri., Sept. 17 Golf Tournament Bryan Park Golf & Enrichment Center; 6275 Bryan Park Road, Greensboro; 336.286.4930; www.mackayfoundation.org; 9 a.m.; $175 Today marks the 17th Annual Bob MacKay Memorial Golf Tournament. It’s being held at Bryan Park Golf & Enrichment Center in Greensboro. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and a shotgun start is at 10:30. The cost is $175 per golfer and includes play and the dinner, raffle, auction and awards ceremony. 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit Blood and Marrow Transplant, Leukemia and Hematology research and education at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, section on Hematology and Oncology. Sun., Sept. 19 Burlington Carousel Festival Burlington City Park; 1333 Overbrook Road, Burlington; 336.222.5030; www.burlingtonnc.gov; 1 p.m.; FREE Today is the second day of the annual Burlington Carousel Festival. The event will start at 1 p.m. at Burlington City Park. Each year the city comes together to celebrate the Dentzel Menagerie Carousel, which was built around 1910. Arts and crafts exhibitors, including Carousel wood carvers, will have their work on display. Children can ride the Carousel and other rides. And at 7 p.m. on the Main Stage, the Australian country music trio, the McClymonts, will perform. Mon., Sept. 20 Studio Series Wake Forest University; Scales Fine Arts Center, Ring Theatre; 1834 Wake Forest Road, Winston-Salem; 336.758.5295; www.wfu.edu/theatre; 7:30 p.m.; $2 Tonight three senior theater majors of Wake Forest University are putting on a series of oneact plays: The Boundary by Tom Stoppard and Clive Exton, directed by Mike Pizzalato; The Old Petrol Station by Tim Thys, directed by Sarah Jean Sparks; Passive Belligerence by Stephen Belber, directed by Reed Pendergrass. Tickets are only $2 and will be on sale one hour before curtain. Seating is limited. Call the box office number listed above to get your tickets. Tues., Sept. 21 cosmic cow society Circa Gallery; 150 Sunset Ave., Asheboro; 336.736.8015; www.cosmiccowsociety.com; 11 a.m.; FREE Make sure you stop by Circa Gallery in Asheboro before Sept. 30. The Cosmic Cow Society will have a group art show on display featuring a variety of media. The Cosmic Cow Society is a diverse group of eclectic artists that meet monthly to encourage members to promote their work. An artist reception will be held Sept. 17 from 5 to 8 p.m. If you can’t attend that, the Circa Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wed., Sept. 22 Book Signing Barnes & Noble, Friendly Shopping Center; 3102 Northline Ave., Greensboro; 800.222.9796; www.blairpub.com; 7 p.m.; $26.95 Tonight at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Friendly Shopping Center, Charlotte Observer reporter Rick Rothacker signs copies of his book. In 2009, Rothacker won the Gerald Loeb Award for beat writing for his coverage of Wachovia during the financial crisis. Banktown: The Rise and Struggles of Charlotte’s Big Banks expands on his coverage, describing how Wachovia and Bank of America became bank giants and also giving readers an understanding of what happened during and after the financial meltdown. Rothacker will be at the 1925 Hampton Inn Court Barnes & Noble in Winston-Salem on Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. Hardback copies of the book are $26.95 each.